Whitpain couple sentenced for gun trafficking
NORRISTOWN » A Whitpain Township man and his girlfriend will spend time behind bars after the couple admitted to conspiring with a North Wales man to operate a gun trafficking network that prosecutors said profited by arming criminals.
Philip Edward Jensen, 33, of the 1600 block of Skippack Pike, was sentenced in Montgomery County Court to 4½ to 10 years in a state correctional facility after he pleaded guilty to charges of corrupt organizations, illegal sale or transfer of firearms, dealing in proceeds of unlawful activities, conspiracy, person not to possess firearms, making false written statements and receiving stolen property in connection with incidents that occurred between April and May 2019.
Jensen’s girlfriend, Monica Ann Kumpf, 34, also of the Skippack Pike address, who pleaded guilty to similar charges, was sentenced to a total of 29- to-69-months in the county jail, to be followed by two years’ probation. At the time she is paroled from jail, Kumpf must be released directly into an inpatient drug or mental health treatment program, according to the sentence.
Judge William R. Carpenter imposed the sentences.
With the charges, prosecutors alleged Kumpf, Jensen and Gaime Hailemichael worked together and were accomplices in the gun trafficking organization.
Authorities are still searching for Hailemichael, 28, of the 100 block of Henning Drive in North
Wales, who is awaiting trial on charges of corrupt organizations, conspiracy and various gun-related offenses, including sales to ineligible persons and providing false information to gun dealers. A judge previously reduced Hailemichael’s bail, over the objection of prosecutors, and he was released from jail to await trial but has failed to show up for court hearings, according to court records.
Specifically, Kumpf admitted that she made 11 purchases of handguns and six attempted handgun purchases from gun stores in Hatfield, Horsham, Upper Merion and West Norriton between April 22 and May 3, 2019, after Jensen asked her to purchase guns for Hailemichael. Prosecutors alleged Hailemichael provided Kumpf with the cash to purchase the guns.
In exchange for purchasing the firearms, Kumpf was provided with crystal methamphetamine, marijuana, food and motel rooms to stay in, prosecutors previously alleged.
Some of the guns that were illegally purchased included Mini Draco AK-47 pistols, a smaller version of an AK-47 that is manufactured in Romania, according to court documents.
Prosecutors said six of the guns purchased during the scheme have not been recovered and are still on the street.
“Cases like this are extremely dangerous because the purpose of an organization like this is to provide guns to criminals, people who are involved in violent drug organizations or violent felons who cannot purchase guns themselves,” said Assistant District Attorney Roderick Fancher III, who
sought lengthy prison terms against Jensen and Kumpf. “Guns in the hands of criminals, it’s one of the biggest dangers to the public.”
Jensen, who was represented by defense lawyer Ben-Zion Datika, was identified as Kumpf’s boyfriend at the time of their arrests in June 2019.
Defense lawyer David Downey represented Kumpf during the sentencing hearing.
The investigation began when an employee of American Arms & Ammo in Hatfield contacted police regarding Kumpf who had purchased four guns from the business within three days. The employee “suspected that the female may have purchased the firearms for some nefarious purpose, possibly ‘straw purchases,’” detectives alleged
in court papers.
One of the methods allegedly used by the group was to make or attempt to make so-called “straw purchases” of firearms from licensed firearms dealers in the county.
A so-called “straw purchase” occurs when the actual buyer of a firearm uses another person, the “straw purchaser,” to execute the paperwork necessary to buy a firearm from a federally licensed firearms dealer.
A “straw purchaser” is someone with a clean background who buys firearms specifically on behalf of someone who is prohibited by law from purchasing a firearm, either because of a previous felony conviction or because of a mental health issue.
Kumpf, detectives alleged, was the only member
of the group who could legally buy and possess firearms. Jensen and Hailemichael each had prior criminal records that prohibited them from purchasing firearms, detectives alleged in court documents.
Prosecutors alleged Jensen and Hailemichael planned the purchases of the firearms, telling Kumpf what guns and what types of guns and in what quantities to buy. They gave her money to buy them and they even used Hailemichael’s Uber account to Uber her to and from gun stores to make these purchases, prosecutors alleged.
Once Kumpf had the firearms in her possession, she turned them over to Jensen and Hailemichael, who in turn sold them on the street at a significant profit, authorities alleged.